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easy vegan dessert

Pamela Fergusson a Vegan Registered Dietician with a PhD in nutrition, and a Mama of 4!

In her 15 years of experience in changing lives through better nutrition, she’s worked as a lecturer in nutrition at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Ryerson University.

Let’s just say, her experience with plant-based nutrition is vast!!

Her blog and instagram ( @drpamela_rd ) are both incredibly informative, making the plant-based lifestyle approachable, fun and delicious.

Her instastories are always a go-to where she backs her facts with stats and studies, and simplifies delicious and nutritious vegan meals. She recently moved out of the city and into the mountains, and now bases her private practice out of Nelson BC.

Here are some questions you wanted answers to (some of these questions have been answered in other areas of my instagram and blog, but I’m excited to hear it in the words of the amazing Pamela!):

You asked:

What is the best way to get Calcium and Vitamin D without dairy?

Pamela answered:

Calcium can be found in a wide variety of plant foods, including tahini, apricots, kale and tofu. One of the best ways to get it, though, is by drinking a fortified plant-based milk. In Canada, those will also be fortified with vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is better absorbed, but you will need to get that through a supplement. The best source of vitamin D is the sun! You’ll need 20 mins of spring/summer or autumn exposure with no sunscreen.

You asked:

Should I limit fruit sugar?

Pamela answered:

Fructose is the sugar in fruit and it is metabolized in the liver. Please don’t limit your intake of fruit. The sugar in fruit is just one of the nutrients found in nature’s candy. You will also be getting fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. You should, however, limit your intake of high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is stripped of any additional helpful nutrients and increases your risk of chronic disease.

You asked:

What is your view on the animal-based Keto diet and the vegan Keto diet?

Pamela answered:

I’m very cautious about the keto diet in general. I think the research is still very new and unfortunately so many people are attracted to the ‘dirty keto’ involving meals like steak slathered in butter. My advice, if you are trying keto, is make sure your fibre intake is still high.

You asked:

What plant milk is the best to give babies?

Pamela answered:

When introducing a milk to children’s diets, the recommendation in Canada for families wishing to avoid dairy is to continue with soy-based formula until your children are two years of age. Remember that continuing to breastfeed, along with complementary solid foods is a wonderful source of nutrition for your baby, to two years of age and beyond.

Some parents don’t want to offer formula to their babies, and would prefer to offer a milk. At the moment, fortified soy milk is the only milk that offers the calcium, vitamin D and the protein that your baby will benefit from. You can look to other sources for healthy fats. One tip is to blend hemp hearts into your store-bought soy milk to bump up the nutrition, including protein, and healthy fats including omega-3s.

You asked:

What can be done to help reduce and bloating throughout the day on a vegan diet?

Pamela answered:

Keeping your portions small is a good idea. Try a gentle approach to intermittent fasting of 12 hours of eating window and then 12 hours of fasting. If that works well, you might want to extend your daily fast slightly to 14 or even 16 hours. Increase your fibre intake slowly.

You asked:

I went vegan for a few months, but felt really tired. What was I doing wrong?

Pamela answered:

It’s unusual for a dietary change to affect you so quickly. This points to the idea that you might not have been eating enough calories. Plant foods are mostly lower in calorie density than animal foods are, and you may need to increase portions of frequency of meals when you go vegan. Longer term, fatigue may be a sign of iron or B12 deficiency, but that takes a long time to develop. You can always ask your doctor to check your blood work if you have any concerns. I recommend annual bloodwork to my clients if possible.

You asked:

Why do vegans need to supplement B12?

Pamela answered:

B12 is derived from bacteria. So, although meat is a source of B12, cows and pigs don’t produce it themselves, they simply store it in their tissues. Also, many farmers supplement their animal’s diets with B12. There is no B12 in plants, so we need to get it from supplements or fortified foods.

You asked:

What other supplements do you recommend everyone takes on a vegan diet?

Pamela answered:

B12, Vitamin D in the winter and possibly a vegan omega 3 (DHA/EPA).

*Side note: Complement has all three in one. Head here and use the code ‘hookedonplants’ for 10% off at the check out.*

2 ingredients (3 if you count the berries on top), a satisfying pour, and a super delicious spoonful of bubbles n’ cream!

Just like you might remember, but minus the pop n’ dairy.

Have at er’ kids!

Simple as:

Scoop

Pour

Spoon

Today we’re using the Ginger Kombucha by Rise!! Their Rose Shizandra or Maple Blueberry boosh’s would be a great idea too.

I do make my own boosh, but it’s not always ready to go, and… I really like this kind. You can find Rise in most grocery stores these days, and this ginger one goes deliciously with the vanilla coconut ice cream (by Coconut Bliss).

These are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, healthy, and simple enough to make every week!

So much YES!

The cookie jar must always, always be full, after all.

I tried replacing the coconut oil with banana, but it didn’t have the crispy-ness we were looking for. So, coconut oil and almond butter make up the majority of the liquid part of this cookie, with oats being the star of the dry ingredients.

There is something SO special about baking cookies.

Maybe it’s the nostalgia. Maybe it’s the smell. Maybe it’s the fact that you can eat the cookie dough as you go (one of the many perks of veganizing everything)!

What ever it is… I like it. ‘I like it a-lot’ (insert Arnold accent here).

And I think Davey likes it even more, especially when this recipe gets pumped out of the kitchen.

I had him blind taste-test the options: banana vs. coconut oil… 10 minutes vs. 12 minutes…well, he lived up to his taste-tester role in the kitchen and concluded that the best version of this cookie recipe features good ol’ coconut oil and a couple more minutes in the oven.

I have to mention… These go real well with this homemade Hemp Milk recipe (no straining needed, and literally the easiest plant-based milk you can make at home). Because let’s face it, what’s a cookie without the dunking?

Benefits:

Almond butter is a good place to go for your Vitamin E needs. Why do we need Vitmain E? It’s key for healthy skin, eyes, and a strong immune system. It’s also a strong antioxidant, to help ward off disease!

Chia is one of the best ways to get your omega 3s, it gives you all essential amino acids, plus it’s packed to the nines with vitamin K (which helps calcium travel throughout the body, making it great for bone density and essential for healing from injuries).

Oats have a complete amino acid profile, containing all essential amino acids. They’re also packed with manganese, which you need for fat and carbohydrate metabolism and brain & nervous function. Not to mention they’re packed with fibre, yet low in fat, making them a good option for knockin’ off the pounds.

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WELCOME

Hi, I'm Julia! I like to simplify plant-based eating and make yummy recipes. I'm a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, certified plant-based chef, Olympian, and I make cereal (Jules Fuel). Enjoy!
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